“You knew my parents, didn’t you?” Nya said, her voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper.
Ana searched her eyes, and instead of answering, she said, “I am a daughter of Juno. My dreams are never just dreams, and my feelings are always omens. But I was mistaken to believe that just because you became true, Fate was finished.”
Morgen’s grip on Nya’s hand tightened. “What are you saying?—”
“It is done,” Ana said sharply. “If you wish to complete what we discussed, it must be done before sunrise.”
Without another word, she turned and strode quickly out of the cavern. Imeria stepped aside to avoid getting barreled over, and Nya tugged her hand away from Morgen’s to step back from the pool.
“What did she mean, just now?”
Morgen shook his head. “Let me heal your hand.”
“What did she mean?”
A tremble went through the cavern; Morgen, presumably. Nya didn’t care if she was making him angry. She was confused and enraged and terrified of what all this meant.
“Imeria, leave us,” Morgen said.
Nya glanced back to see Imeria raise a brow. “You’re sure?”
“Go,” he ordered shortly.
She huffed, muttering under her breath, but Morgen ignored her as she left. Once they were alone, Nya ripped the veil off, throwing it to the floor.
“If what Ana just said to you refers to consummating the marriage, you’ll be consummating it alone. I’m not touching you.”
His expression darkened, jaw tightening. “It did not. I would never force you to do that.”
“Oh, but the line stops…where? Murdering my mentors? Kidnapping me? Forcing me into a marriage with threats against my family? You know, for all your talk of morals and honor, you only seem to adhere to those things when it suits you.”
He took a step towards her, then another until he was close. Too close. But she refused to back away, or to admit she was afraid of his proximity. Not because she was afraid ofhim, but of herself. If she ignored her stubborn feelings that still lingered, perhaps they would just go away.
“There is so much you?—”
“Don’t understand? Yes, I picked up on that, actually. I haven’t been here a day, and everyone has been constantly reminding me of that.”
“Because it is true.”
She flared her nostrils. “Then why don’t you tell me? Or do you not trust me enough for that?”
His eyes flickered. “You hate me. Why would I trust you with important information?”
Her quiet laugh was cold. “I do. But it does seem to be common knowledge. If everyone knows, why bother keeping me in the dark? I suppose I could just…oh, I don’t know, flirt my way to some answers? Your men seemed interested enough. Perhaps I’d even let them touch me for information. I know you threatened them, but I can be very persuasive?—”
His hands slammed into the stone on either side of her, and his eyes sparked with bright amber. She was playing with fire here, but she needed to understand what was happening, and he wouldn’t hurt her.
“I meant what I said,” he said, breath ragged. “No one will touch you.”
Her gaze drifted to his throat. She didn’t mean to, but it was habit when he was this close, and, like always, it elicited such a wave of rage in her that she didn’t know what to do with it. She hated that most of all, perhaps, that she still cared.
“Hardly seems fair,” she whispered. “Since you seem to have your share of lovers here.”
The thick hum in the air shifted. Changed. The amber in his eyes did not disappear but deepened, and he laughed softly, though the sound was still cold and humorless.
“Jealous, are we?” he murmured, leaning in, his breath caressing the shell of her ear.
“I just said I hate you.” Gods, her voice sounded all breathy and wrong. She was supposed to be angry. And shewas, but…
